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Differences in DAC specs
- Thread starter hpm40
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No.
The source must be 24/192 or 32/384 for these capabilities to be pertinent. I am not familiar with 24/196; I suspect that this is a typo on your part.
CD recordings are 16/44 (16 bit sample size, and a sampling rate of 44K per second). So, the ability to convert 24/192 and 32/384 files is not relevant with CD content.
That said, most current DACs support at least 24/192, and many support 32/384. Some also support DSD. If you are considering an integrated amp with a built-in DAC, having these capabilities is a a good thing, as you may want to listen to "higher resolution" files in the future. Many music streaming services have quite a bit of 24/96 and 24/192 content, and I assume that they will be expanding their higher-resolution catalogs as time goes by.
Also, as far as I know, iPods do not provide digital output, which is of course a requirement when using an outboard DAC (digital to analog converter).
The source must be 24/192 or 32/384 for these capabilities to be pertinent. I am not familiar with 24/196; I suspect that this is a typo on your part.
CD recordings are 16/44 (16 bit sample size, and a sampling rate of 44K per second). So, the ability to convert 24/192 and 32/384 files is not relevant with CD content.
That said, most current DACs support at least 24/192, and many support 32/384. Some also support DSD. If you are considering an integrated amp with a built-in DAC, having these capabilities is a a good thing, as you may want to listen to "higher resolution" files in the future. Many music streaming services have quite a bit of 24/96 and 24/192 content, and I assume that they will be expanding their higher-resolution catalogs as time goes by.
Also, as far as I know, iPods do not provide digital output, which is of course a requirement when using an outboard DAC (digital to analog converter).
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Always! To each, his/her own. However, it seems like many people strive for perfection but may not be able to hear it.
The higher spec capability of any given DAC has significant relevance when streaming from a service that provides higher than CD resolution material. It will not improve the sound quality of CD level material, but you might hear a difference when streaming from Tidal/Qobuz/ etc.
As I said, these higher bitrate capabilities are only pertinent when the source data is also that bitrate.
The OP was asking about CD bitrate.
Not sure what you mean, but probably getting pretty far from the topic.
Agreed.
lini
just me...
What about it?
lini
just me...
Well, the DAC sections might upsample lower resolution input - and as a 32 bit / 384 kHz DAC would most likely be newer than a 24 bit / 192 kHz DAC, it might be more nifty and upsample in better quality. Hence I'm not so sure about the "no" and would rather tend to a "maybe/who knows".
Greetings from Munich!
Manfred / lini
AudioAvarice
Super Member
Pretty sure a file ripped from a CD at 16/44 will still be CD quality even up-sampled to 32/384 ? DAC's can't add information (resolution) that wasn't there to begin with.
Then you probably should have answered him, rather than me.
I call BS. Maybe 20 years ago, not today.
I can hear a little bit, sometimes. I think with DACs it is more the electronics used, rather than sampling rates, that determine the sound and quality.
cpt_paranoia
Addicted Member
No DAC is really 32-bit. That gives a theoretical dynamic range of 196.24dB. Various electrical noise sources are at least 50dB higher than that, so even 24-bit (at 144.48dB DR) is pushing it to get above the noise floor.
A modern sigma-delta DAC does a hell of a lot of DSP internally to perform its conversion. This might use 32-bit arithmetic to minimise accumulated errors within that processing. But I don't consider that makes it a 32-bit DAC; if the input samples are more than 24 bits, the additional bits are just noise.
cpt_paranoia
Addicted Member
I think there is a bit of confusion going on here.
A modern DAC will support multiple bitrates on its input; 16/44k1 CD, 24/192k 'hires', etc.
A modern DAC may perform upsampling of a 'lower rate' (e.g. CD) input, using some upsampling digital filter, either because someone thinks that sounds nicer, or as part of the DAC's conversion mechanism (e.g. sigma-delta/delta-sigma).
A modern DAC may be described by its internal conversion mechanism; as my post above, it may use 32-bit precision arithmetic in its upsampling or conversion filter arithmetic. A DAC manufacturer might then claim it is a '32/384k DAC'. They might even support a 32/384k native input stream, but, as above, at least 8 bits of that sample word will be nothing but noise, or lost in noise.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
The main reason for higher sampling rates is to keep digital artifacts out of range of the human ear with out using very destructive filters that can influence the sound. So if your source has been overly manipulated in the studio or during the original performance you definitely want those higher sampling rates. More manipulation requires higher sampling rates. Way back when CD standards were being set AMPEX recommended that 5 times higher sampling rte was needed to get the best over ll performance for the CD medium. But that would have made CD production very expensive so they settled on a lower rate. And even then the early CD players sound reproduction capabilities were very poor. The Sony 0 CD player ws horrible nd the Phillips players were much better. Thts what gave CD a bad rap. It wasn't so much the medioum it self it was the playback mchines and the recording engineers playing with a new toy that allowed them to make overly detailed recordings and so it goes today. Its all about the details and forget what the ctual perforance really sounds like. Thats why LP's are out selling CD's. With only a few companies making natural ounding recordings for CD players tstreaming has become the choice because of the convience and costs. Streaming is compromised, too. Just listen to the difference between a recently produced CD LP and the streamed versuin recorded by Reference recordings or older Telarc or Sheffields. You can immediately haer that streaming comes in third place. at least half the time it seems or more that way to me. I guess it all depends on the quality of the source. You can't expect a $300.oo TT and cartridge or CD to compete with a 5 or $6000 disc player or a $6000 dollar computer with a 5 or 6000 dollar Rose DAC. I would at least want a model 60 SME TT with a great Lyra or Dyna vector cartridge and they are cheap when comparing. maybe some 150,000 dollar Wilson or Magico loud speakers. maybe another $100,000 for electronics. I mean fair is fair if we really are going to compare sources fairly. Oh and shouldn't we spend a bunch of money on room acoustics also. Seems like using Klipsch Jubilees at $40,000 doesn't quite measure up some how.
So I have said in the past its not the medium we choose its the people who use the medium to capture the sound that we choose to enjoy. All can be very acceptable or inspiring but in the wrong hands sound like ****. Excrement.
So I have said in the past its not the medium we choose its the people who use the medium to capture the sound that we choose to enjoy. All can be very acceptable or inspiring but in the wrong hands sound like ****. Excrement.
